Automatic register



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. R. TROTT & J. W. MGELVAIN.

AUTOMATIC REGISTER.

No. 281,652. Patented July'li, 1883.

Witnesses:

I nveniors:

N. PETERS. Pluolol-ilhognphu. Wahln tun. D. c.

(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. R. TROTT & J. W. MQELVAIN.

AUTOMATIC REGISTER.

No. 281,652. Patented July 1'7, 1883.

N. PETERS, Flwlrrljthographer. wnhin mn, 0.6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. TROTT AND JAMES IV. MOELVAIN, OF AUBURN, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,652, dated July 17,'1883 Application filed April 10, 1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN R. TRoTT and J AMEs IV. MOELVAIN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Sangamon andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Registers, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inautomatic registers for indicating the number of miles ridden by eachpassenger in a railway-car, it being especially adapted for use inconnection with steam passengercoaches; and it has for its object tokeep an accurate account of the distance traveled by the respectivepassengers, and to indicate the same upon the dial-plate, whereby acomparisonbetween such registration and the tickets and money which theconductor has in hand at the end of the route may be readily had, andany discrepancy detected.

This invention consists, essentially, in the employment of a yieldingseat, and mechanism adapted to be actuated thereby and to receive motionfrom one of the axles of the coach, in combination with a rotatingregistering device and means for imparting motion received from one ofthe axles of the coach thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andon which like letters of reference indicate corresponding features,Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved fare-register, aportion of a car-floor, and a pair of truckwheels; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section of the register-casing and its pinions or wheels;Fig. 3, a plan view of the disk which carries the register-casing; Fig.4, a detail perspective view of one of the tripping-dogs, a part of thecasing being broken away; Fig. 5, a like view of a trippingdog, takenfrom the opposite side; Fig. 6, a vertical cross-section of thecar-seat; Fig. 7, a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, ofthe frame for supporting and the means for operating the sliding head;Fig. 8, a ver tical sectional view of the sliding dog and bolt and theircasing. Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of the sliding head, thesupporting frame, the means for reciprocating the said block, and theseveral rods which, through the action of the said head, actuate thedevices which engage the register mechanism; and Fig. 10, a verticalshaft having an arm secured to its upper end for imparting motion to thesliding head, a crank at its lower end which engages with means forreturning the said arm to the startingpoint, and a beveled pinion bywhich the said shaft receives its motion.

The letter A indicates a portion of the floor of a railway-coach, uponwhich is mounted the seat A, adapted to have a short vertical. movementwithin the frame A To said seat is attached a vertical rod, 13, whichextends through the bottom of the car, and is provided with a collar, B,and around which is adapted to fit a spiral spring, B the spring servingto normally support the seat and the collar to limit its upwardmovement.

To the under side of the bottom of the car is attached a stationaryplate, 0, by means of suitable standards, 0, for a purpose which willpresently appear.

One of the supporting-axles is provided with a worm, C", whichintergears with a pinion secured to a shaft, D, mounted in a frame, D,

the latter being secured to the frame-work of the truck or to any othersupport. The said shaft is provided with a bevel-pinion, D", adapted tointergear with a like pinion, E, mounted upon a shaft, E, said shafthaving its journals in the frames D and E The upper end of the shaft Ecarries another bevel-pinion, F, which engages a like pinion, F, on ashaft, F which rotates in a frame, E and which is supported by theblocks G, secured preferably to the car-bottom.

Upon a shaft, F", is mounted a bevel-pinion,

worm, H, and at each end with an ordinary bevel-pinion, H (only onebeing shown in the present instance.)

Passing vertically through the plate 0 is a shalt, I, the lower end ofwhich carries a pinion, 1, which engages with the worm H, and to theupper end is secured a disk, I", the said disk resting upon the upperside of the plate 0, by which means the shalt I is supported and theengagement of the pinion 1 and the worm G maintained. To this shaft isalso loosely secured the registering-casing J, the upper side of whichis provided with ahinged cover, J, which forms bearings for the upperends of the shafts which carry the registeringwheels, and by which coveraccess is had to the interior of the casing should the parts be comedisarranged. The under side of said casing has a lug, J, adapted toengage with a stud, J, which. extends from the disk I by which thecasing is made to revolve.

Mounted within the casing J are a series of registeringwheels orpinions, J", of the ordinary or any approved construction. Thelirst ofthe series (indicated by the letter K) has its teeth extending from itslower side. The shafts of the first two of these series are providedwith radial arms which engage with the teeth of the registering wheels JJ. Mounted within the casing, and beneath the wheel K, is anintermittingly-rotating shaft, K, one end of which has an arm adapted toengage the teeth of said wheel, and the other a toothed disk, .K whichextends through a slot in the bottom plate of the casing, and whichreceives intermittent motion by engagement with devices to bepresentlymentioned. This plate has extending from it a lug, L, thefunction of which will hereinafter more fully appear, and the letter Kindicates a projeo tion extending from. the said plate, the saidprojection serving to close an aperture in. the plate and to form acavity through which the bent end of the shaft K may pass.

The letter L indicates a shaft which extends the entire length of thecar, or nearly so, and is supported by suitable hangers at tached to thebottom of the car. This shaft has a bevel-pinion, I mounted upon it,which engages with a like pinion, H, and a worm, M, which inter 'earswith apinion, M, secured to the shalt M: The said shalt L receivesrotary motion through the transverse shalt H and the pinions H and '1and transmits its motion to the shalt M through the media of the pinionM and the worm M. Said shalt M is provided at one end with a bevel-gear,N, and is mounted in the bearing N, pivoted to a hanger extending fromthe lower plate of thelrame N", as more clearly shown in Fig. 9. Thisshaftis flexibly connected to the shalt B by means of the pivotedsection B.

The letter 0 indicates a vertical shaft j ournaled in the frame Nterminating in a crank, O, at its lower end, and provided withabevel-pinion, O and an arm, l", the said pinion O engaging with thepinion N, l'romwhich latter it receives rotarymotion, which motion bythe shalt 0 causes thearm l? to engage the sliding head P, and to forceit in the direction iudi esmesa;

cated by the arrow, the return movement of the said head being effectedby the contraction of a spiral spring, R, secured at one end to the headand at the other to thenpright which is attached to the frame N.

The letter Pindicates a slidinghead adapted to travel in suitable ways,formed in the upper and lower plates of the frame N and to engage oneend of a reciprocating rod, 1. This rod is suitablyjournaled in an.upright secured to the edges of the frame N and is provided with a stop,Q, which limits the forward stroke of the rod, and the other end thereofis bent to embrace a reciprocating rod, Q", and to engage a stop, Q, onthe said re ciprocating rod, the object of which engagement is to causethe movement of the rod 1, caused by the action of the slidinghead l toretract the reciprocating rod Q whereby the pawl It is disengaged fromthe recess in the dog S, as will. more fully appear.

The letter R refers to a lever pivoted to the stud It", extending fromthe upright secured to the frame N. To this lever, near its upper end,is flexibly connected a pitman, 1t, suitably journaled in the uprightbefore mentioned, and connected with the sliding head I the lower end ofsaid lever being adapted to engage a collar on the rod Q". By this meansit will be observed that when the sliding head I is returned to itsnormal position by the action of the spiral spring just alluded to therod Q will be given a forward move ment, and the detent 1t made-to enterthe recess in the dog S, it having been withdrawn from said recess bythe backward movement of the sliding head, the object of which operationwill presently appear. The forward end of the rod Q connects with adetent, 1t, piv oted to the casing S. This casing is prel'erablyattached to the plate 0. \Vithin this casing S are adapted to slide atripping-dog, S, and a two-arm sliding bolt, S. Beneath the dog S is aspring, T, which serves to keep it and the bolt S normally elevated, theformer against the pawl. 1t, and within the recess formed in the dogisanother spiral spring, T, the lower end of which engages a stud projecting from the inner face of the sliding bolt S whereby the said boltis kept normally in its seat formed in the said sliding dog S. This dogis also provided with an inclined stud, T, which, when the dog is forceddown, thrusts the pivoted pawl U from beneath the lower end of the boltS the pawl being nor mally held in place by a spring, U, thus ad mittingof the quick descent of the said bolt after its engagement with a toothof the wheel K. The function and purpose of the said bolt S it will thusbe observed, is to actuate the register mechanism, its arm. .9 being extended in the opposite direction to that in which the register-case Jtravels, so as to pre sent an obstruction which shall. engage with thelower tooth of the wheel K as the latter comes in contact therewith.

The letter U indicates a rod which is supported inthe hanger V,extending from the bottom of the car, and which is provided with lugs V,adapted to engage with the crank 0, so that the arm 1? may be returnedby hand to the starting point. This rod may be provided with ahand-lever or other means for operating it. Should the tripping-dog andthe bolt be sprung after the register has passed them, and should thetrain stop before the register shall have made a revolution and passedover the said spring-dog and bolt,'the register is continued through thecircle by hand in order to make it engage with said spring-dog and boltbefore it is taken off.

The operation of our invention will bereadily understood when taken inconnection with the above, and is as follows: \Vhen the train is put inmotion, to the system of gearing hereinbefore alluded to is imparted arotating movement, and the register-casing made to revolve around theplates 0. This operation is continued as long as the car is in motion,and when the weight ofa passenger is brought upon the seat the pinion M,through the rod B, is made to engage the worm M, from which it receivesrotation. This causes the bevel-pin ion N to revolve the like pinion, O,and consequently to bring the arm P in contact with the sliding head 1?,by which, through the action of the reciprocating rods P nd Q the pawlR" is withdrawn from the recess in the tripping-dog S, and the latterand the bolt S allowed to ascend through a slot in the plate C, so as tocause the arm 8 of the said bolt S to engage with the lower tooth of thewheel K", whereby the register mechanism is actuat- After the said wheelK has passed beyond the point of engagement with the arm 8 the lug Lcomes in contact with the inclined side of the trippingdog S, and, thesaid lug being unyielding, thereby forces the trippingdog S downward,causing the lug T, formed on the said dog, to thrust the pawl U frombeneath the lower end of the bolt S", whereby the said bolt, by theexpansive force of the spring T, is caused to quickly descend. The

pivoted detent R by this time has dropped into the recess formed in theside of the tripping-dog, whereby the devices are held in the positionindicated in Fig. 4 until the arm P has again come in contact with thesliding head 1?, which, through the action of the rod 1? and the rod Q",acts to withdraw the said detent and allow of an upward thrust of thetripping-dog and the bolt, ready for a second engagement with the toothK this operation being repeated as often as the casing J passes over thesaid dog and bolt. Vhen the lowest tooth of the wheel K comes in contactwith the arm s of the vbolt, this shaft K gives the register-wheel K aslight turn, which causes the register mechanism to register.

It will thus be seen that as long as the seat remains depressed acontinual registering of the distance which the passenger rides will beeffected, the register being arranged to indicate a half, a quarter, ora full mile, or any fraction thereof which may be desired, each time thewheel K engages the bolt S After the arm P has forced the slidinghcad 1?in the direction of the arrow and has passed said head, the spiralspring R" causes the head to make its returirstroke, whereby the pitmanR is forced forward, and the lever It, engaging with the collar on therod Q acts to return the detent B into the recess formed in the dog S,the said dog having by this time, through the action above described,been forced downwardly to the position seen in Fig. 4.

It is to be observed that in carrying out our invention it is necessaryto supply each seat with the rotating shaft, the sliding head, and thereciprocating rods, a dog and bolt, and the several intermediate deviceswhich co-operate therewith, but one stationary plate, one register, andthe devices which cause the latter to rotate being necessary.

It is to be observed that when the train has reached the end of itsroute, the aggregate of the distance traveled by all the passengers willbe indicated by the register, and by a comparison of such aggregate withthe tickets in hand any discrepancy will be ascertained. It is also tobe observed that the sliding head 1? is kept in astate of constantreciprocation as long as a passenger occupies a seat, while the rotationof the register-casing is continuous and independent of the movements ofthe said sliding head, the bolt S being prevented from engaging thewheel K during the intervals that the passenger is not in his seat bymeans of the detent R engaging the recess in the dog S, from which it isnotreleased until the passenger again takes his seat.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in an automatic register, of the yielding seat andthe rotating shaft connected thereto, the vertical shaft and its arm,the sliding head, which is operated by said arm in one direction andreturned by a spring, the reciprocating rods, and the tripping-dog andbolt, with a rotating registercasing carrying a series ofregistenwhcels, and an interinittingly-rotating shaft having atoothed'whecl, the said wheel being engaged by the said bolt, and meansfor rotating the register-easing, substantially as described.

2. The combination, wit-h an automatic register, of a yielding seat, theshaft j ournaled in a piv oted bearing, the vertical shaft receivingrotation therefrom and provided with an arm, with a sliding head, theyielding dog and bolt, and the means for connecting the head with thedog, substantially as shown.

3. The combination, in an automatic register, of a fixed plate providedwith a rotating shaft having a pinion, and the registering devicescarried thereby, with a transverse shaft having a worm and a pinion, andreceiving mo- IIO 4 *EQLGSQ tion from one of the supporting-axles oftheIn testimony whereof we affix our signatures ear, whereby theregister-easing is given 1'0- 111 presence of two witnesses. tarymotion, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic register, the eoinhina- J. R. TROTT. 5 tion of thefixed plate having a Vertical shaft JAMES XV. MCELVAIN.

and the rotating registmr-casing, and mechanism to operate the same,with the sliding (log 'Witnesses and bolt, adapted to engage theregistering .T. J. MCCARTHY, wheels, and nleehanisn'l l'or operating thesame, H. .T. ENNIS.

IO substantially as shown.

